Chapter 11
ELEVEN
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter under my breath.
I’m in my running gear, wearing black tights and a white sports top under a tight black jacket with thumbholes, with my hair pulled back into a ponytail.
I thought it would look less suspicious. I could say I got lost on my morning run if I got caught hanging around the shipyard.
The sun is peeking over the horizon, making the waves on the water sparkle. The sound of them crashing is as loud as my heartbeat in my ears.
“This is so freaking wrong, and I could go to jail for this, you know that,” I whisper to Saylor, who is standing beside me.
“North should think about a better hiding spot for the spare key if he doesn’t want people to get in.
He hasn’t even installed a new security system after the last one broke since he thinks no one would steal a freaking boat out of a repair shipyard when there are working ones right in front of it in the harbor.
Besides, who would steal from the distinguished Jones family? ” Saylor laughs sarcastically.
I frown at him. “That’s your family too.”
He shrugs, but there’s so much more to unpack there.
Later.
Right now, I have to make myself a criminal and break into this building.
I remove the key from its hiding place between two bricks next to the side door. Saylor’s right. This is a pretty lousy spot for an emergency key.
Fiddling the key into the lock, I cringe when the door creaks open. Then, with careful steps inside, I close it behind me as silently as possible.
“There.” Saylor points to one of the boats propped up at the repair station.
“You’re sure it’s that one?” I ask, looking from one boat to the other. There are three boats in the yard right now, all looking the same to me—white tops and blue bellies with Jones & Sons written on their sides.
“It is. It’s his favorite boat, the Tiderider,” he mutters with a hint of derision, pointing at the name on the side of the boat.
“Do you think it’s still there? You said it was a while ago,” I ask him, trying not to jump out of my skin after every little noise I hear.
“Seven years,” he mutters, and I freeze, gazing up at him. But before I can say anything, he continues, “That boat has seen better days. Maybe that’s why it’s in repair, but it’s still the same.”
Fine. Let’s get this over with.
“Okay, what do I do now?” I ask in a whisper.
“He let the necklace fall into the maintenance hatch of the boat to show me how little he cared about it right after he won it,” Saylor grumbles, his jaw clenching.
“Sounds like a delightful person.” I exhale sharply, making my way over to the boat and thinking about how to get myself up there. It’s not easy now that it’s on dry land.
I spot a ladder on wheels next to the boat beside the Tiderider and try to roll it over to where I need it, but it’s too heavy.
I take off my jacket since it makes my palms slippery on the metal, pull my ponytail tighter, and push again with all my might.
The ladder moves with a loud scraping sound.
It’s fucking heavy, and I have to shove it with everything I have.
“Well, I would be surprised if no one heard that,” I pant out when the ladder is finally in place, my hands on my knees.
“I’m sorry, I would help, but…” Saylor moves his hand as if to push the ladder, but it goes right through it.
“I just need a minute.” I try to steady my breathing and stand straight again, wiping away the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I find his gaze already on me. “Are you geometry? Because you look good at every angle,” Saylor tells me in a sultry tone, and I groan.
Rolling my eyes with exasperation, I ask, “What the fuck?”
“What? I thought the situation needed a little less tension.” He chuckles, a grin spreading over his face.
“Better tell me where to go here,” I tell him, making my way up the ladder and onto the boat, Saylor directly behind me.
“There.” He points to a latch in the back of the boat, so I walk over and try to open it.
“It won’t budge.” I groan, already exhausted from all the shoving and pulling I’ve done. And it’s not even six a.m.
“Yeah, they jam if they fall closed suddenly. You have to pull hard.”
“Thank you, Mr. Obvious,” I mutter, shooting him a pointed look before I squat down and take the lever with both hands, pulling until I have a red face. Finally, it jolts open, and I nearly fall backward.
“Perfect. It should be somewhere down there, next to the motor.”
I look down into the dark, contained space, and my heart rate starts to get out of control.
Breathe, Sloan.
It’s an open space.
There is light from above coming in.
Nothing can happen.
I’m fine.
I sit on the edge, take a deep breath like one would before diving into water, and let myself slip down into the hole.
The hull is not too deep. My head is still half out of it when I stand straight, so I crouch down to inspect the floor.
Thankfully, although the light coming from outside is not enough to see well, it is enough to keep my panic at bay.
I move to take out my phone to put on the flashlight, but remember I left it in my jacket next to the ladder.
Fuck
“I can’t see much. It’s too dim inside here.
Maybe I have to get my phone first,” I whisper loudly to Saylor while I crouch down and let my hand swipe over the wooden floor of the maintenance compartment.
Then, my fingers graze something that feels like a fine chain next to the motor.
I strain my arm to get into the space beside it and tug it out from under the motor, letting the chain dangle from my fingers in front of my face. It’s a beautiful golden necklace.
“Got it,” I exclaim, looking up to see if Saylor is watching, which he is with a wide grin.
“You’re amazing,” he tells me when I put the necklace into my sports bra so I have both my hands free to climb out of this fucking hole.
I’m just about to stand up straight when suddenly, the latch creaks, and I freeze.
Then, I watch the hatch come down on me in slow motion, falling shut with a boom that makes my ears ring, leaving me in complete darkness.
The stark contrast of no light and the click of the hatch drags me under into something I’d rather not remember.
The darkness is all-consuming, pressing in on me from all sides.
It’s so thick, so palpable, that it’s like a living entity, wrapping its cold fingers around my heart and squeezing.
Every breath I take is labored from the weight of the void pressing down on my chest.
How long have I been in here?
Hours? Days?
Time has lost all meaning.
The silence is deafening, broken only by my ragged breathing and the occasional distant echo of screams or muffled voices.
I try to calm myself, to push away the rising tide of panic.
Breathe, Sloan. Just breathe.
But it’s hard. The darkness is suffocating, and every whisper of movement sends my heart racing.
I’ve always been afraid of the dark. As a child, I would hide under the covers, convinced that the souls and ghosts were out to get me. But this... this is worse than any childhood nightmare.
This darkness feels eternal, as if I’ll never see the light again.
Drifting in and out of a fitful sleep, my dreams are haunted by memories of Nan. Her warm smile, the way she’d hold me close when I was scared.
Is she okay?
The thought of her, alone and afraid for me, tears at my heart.
I turn to the side, as much as the straps allow. Which is basically just letting my knees fall to the side, trying to find some semblance of comfort on the cold, hard bed. But there’s no escaping the darkness, no escaping the fear.
Will I ever get out of here again?
Have they just locked the door and forgotten about me?